Faceplate arrangement



A -8,1944. EA. NHL ETA; 2,35 2

FACEPLATE ARRANGEMENT Filed Sept. 11, 1945 V 2 Sheets-Shee 1 lllllfll N il J HH "Hull w yzw A, 75%.

E, A. PIHL ETAL 2,355,260

.FACEPLATE ARRANGEMENT Filed Sept. 11, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 8, 1944 2,355,260 FACEPLATE ARRANGEMENT Eric A. Pihl and Harold M. Ring, Chicago, 111., as-

signors to The Pullman Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 11, 1943, Serial No. 501,946

11 Claims.

This invention relates to railway car faceplate arrangements at the passageway between adjoining cars in a train and has for its principal object the provision of means for preventing dirt and water seeping through the joint between the faceplates at their contacting surfaces, from dripping into the passageway.

The invention contemplates the use of a removable gutter member disposed immediately beneath the joint formed by the contacting surfaces of adjoining iaceplates above the passageway between cars in position to receive anything passing between the upper portions of the faceplates.

An object of the invention is to provide an arrangement requiring only one gutter per car adapted to be mounted at either end of a car and which may be shifted about to avoid having two gutters at one passageway to the exclusion of any gutter at all at another and whereby a gutter may be had for every pair of adjoining faceplates in a train.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a rain excluding gutter adapted to be removably mounted upon the passageway faceplate at either end of a railway car which incorporates means to absorb the movement of the gutter necessary should two gutters come together in opposed relation on adjoining faceplates.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a removable rain excluding gutter having means positively to prevent application of the gutter in any but an operative position.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the arrangement illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is an end perspective view of a railway car equipped with a passageway faceplate provided with the dirt and rain excluding gutter of this invention and showing the lower portion of the car broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central longitudinal vertical sectional view through the passageway of adjoining cars taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 showing the arrangement of the upper portions of the faceplates with the rain excluding gutter of this invention disposed immediately beneath the contacting surfaces therebetween;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the rain excluding gutter shown disposed in its normal relation to the adjoining iaceplates and supported from brackets on one faceplate;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view or the rain excluding gutter from inside the passageway of the car on which it is mounted showing the gutter removably supported in releasable brackets on the faceplate at opposite ends of the gutter;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the gutter and supporting bracket taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 showing the manner of releasably retaining the gutter in the bracket;

and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the gutter arrangement taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3 showing the angle member supporting the gutter with resilient means between the angle and gutter to absorb relative movement therebetween.

In the drawings H] represents a railway car having an end wall I I provided with an end doorway l2. A passageway faceplate I3 is disposed in spaced relation to the end wall and is provided with hinged wing members I 4 pivotally supported therefrom to provide means of attaching and supporting a streamlining diaphragm I5 about the perimeter of the car. The streamlining diaphragm is secured to the faceplate and wing members and to the car end wall by means of clamping devices I B leaving the diaphragm imperforate. A bellows fold diaphragm I1 is also disposed between the faceplate and end wall to provide a weather-tight passageway and is secured by means of Z-shaped attaching frames I8 and I9 respectively. The faceplate is maintained in spaced relation to the car end wall against the bufiing action of associated cars in a train through the medium of an upper buffer stem 20 pivotally secured to the faceplate by means of a bracket 2| and engaging against a buffing spring 22 adapted to'urge the upper portion of the faceplate outwardly and by lower bufier. stems (not shown), which are also pivotally secured to the faceplate at the bottom portion and engaging a buifing device to urge the faceplate in an outward direction away from the car end wall. It will readily be seen that contact between faceplates of adjoining cars is maintained by these bufiing devices at all times and proper relation of the faceplates with respect to the end walls of the cars and to the passageway is assured. A completely enclosed passageway is provided from one car to the other through the associated diaphragms I! with only the joint 21 between the contacting surfaces of adjoining faceplates intervening.

It has been found in practice that the joint 21 failed fully to exclude the weather and permitted water and dirt to leak through between the contacting surfaces of the faceplates and drip from the lower portion of the joint into the passageway and onto passengers going between cars and 'faceplates and prevent it from dripping into the passageway by passing it off at either side of the passageway. One gutter is provided for each car which may be used at either end of the car on one faceplate or the other, since each of the faceplates of every car equipped with the invention is provided with mounting brackets 35 upon which the gutter is adapted to be removably supported whereby to provide a gutter for each pair of adjoining faceplates in every passageway of a train. Individual cars may be coupled together with either end of any car associated with either end of any other car without the necessity for considering any particular relation to be maintained between cars being coupled, since, regardless of the relationship between cars, the faceplates equipped with'this invention are identical and any two of them may be brought together without concern for the disposition of the rain excluding gutters on the respective cars for, at most, it will only be necessary to shift one gutter to the faceplate at the other end of the car should two of them come together at the adjoining ends of the cars being coupled.

The gutter 35 comprises a channel shaped member having'flanges 3| and 32 of equal height extending in parallel relation and open at opposite H ends to drain off water guided by the flanges. The flange 32 at the inner side of the gutter is straight and extends in a single plane throughout its length but the outer flange 3| at opposite ends of the gutter is disposed at an angle to the flange 32 so that the gutter on its outer side tapers from a point 33 spaced from each end to a point 34 on the respective ends inside the plane of the joint 21 formed by the contacting surfaces of the faceplates whereby to provide inclined surfaces adapted to be engaged by an adjoining faceplate to press the gutter into retracted position out of the path of movement thereof as the faceplates slide relatively in a lateral direction during passage of the cars about curves in the track as will more fully hereinafter appear.

With the flanges 3| and 32 of the channel member disposed upwardly, it will be seen that the gutter 3|] provides a trough beneath the joint 21 between adjoining faceplates extending across the full width of the passageway in parallel relation with the joint 21 at all times and adapted to catch anything working its way between the faceplates and prevent its dropping into the passageway and to drain'it off at either side of the passageway. The gutter is carried by a supporting angle member 40 which is removably secured in the brackets 35 mounted on flanges 29 of the faceplate. The supporting angle is provided with an extended flange 4| arranged horizontally which provides a table or shelf for supporting the gutter and a vertical flange 42 located at the rearmost side of the angle or at that side disposed inwardly of the passageway so that the horizontal flange 4| extends in a direction outwardly of the passageway but stopping short of the plane of the outer surface of the faceplate. The angle member is supported from the brackets 35 on the faceplate and removably secured by means of dowel pins 43 located one at each end of the angle and depending from the horizontal flange 4| to register with openings 44 extending vertically throughthe respective supporting brackets. The dowel pins are secured to the angle 4|! by welding them to the flange 4| as best shown in Fig. 5, and when they are entered in the openings 44 in the supporting brackets, the angle member provides a rigid support for the gutter 30.

The supporting brackets 35 are mounted upon the faceplates at opposite ends of every car and are secured to the respective flanges 29 of the faceplates by means of bolts 36. The brackets each have an attaching flange 31 through which the screws 36 extend and a tubular portion 38 in which the opening 44 is formed. An opening 39 (Fig. 5) extends through the wall of the tubular portion 38 to the opening 44 and a retractable locking bolt 45 is reciprocable through this opening into locking engagement with the dowel pin 43 which is provided with a kerf 46 for engagement by the bolt to prevent separation of the gutter supporting angle member 40 from the brackets 35. The locking bolt is mounted in a retaining bracket 41 which is secured to the tubular portion 38 and a coil spring 48 about the bolt urges it at all times into locking engagement with the dowel pin. A head 50 is threaded onto the end of the locking bolt extending through the retaining bracket 4'| to provide means for retracting the bolt from interlocking relation with the kerf 46 and a pin 49 extending through the locking bolt and operating in slots 5| in the retaining bracket prevents rotation of the bolt and maintains proper relation between the bolt and kerf to insure operative engagement therebetween when the dowel pin is pressed into the supporting bracket past the locking bolt, which is automatically pressed out of the way and snaps into position when the parts are in registry or when the retracted bolt is released to return to interlocked relation. By providing similar connections to the faceplate at opposite sides of the passageway, the angle member 40 is rigidly supported to provide a fixed base member upon which the gutter 30 is adapted to be carried and which is releasably secured by means of the locking devices described so that the entire assembly may readily be removed for application to the faceplate at either end of the car when conditions require.

The horizontal flange 4| of the angle member 45 is provided on its upper surface with a plurality of bearing pads 52 welded directly to the flange and upon which the gutter 30 is adapted to be supported for relative sliding movement and two of which are slotted as at 53 to make provision for connection of the gutter to the angle member. The gutter and supporting angle are permanently interconnected, as best shown in Fig. 6, by means of close fitting headed pins having their shank portionsv 54 engaged through the respective slots 53 and welded through the bottom of the gutter member at 55. A shoulder 5'! on the pin 55 engages the bottom surface of gutter 30 to provide clearance between the gutter and the head of the pin for the thickness of the flange 4| of the angle member and the bearing pad 52 and to limit penetration of the pin through the gutter so that the upper surface is flush with the surface of the gutter and when welded providing a water-tight connection. The. pins 55 are adapted to slide in the slots 53 which are disposed in parallel relation so that thegutter 30 is capable of movement relative to the angle member 40 within the limits of movement permitted by the slots. The length of the slots 53 is such that the gutter 30 may be retracted fully within the passageway of the car on which it is mounted without disturbing the fixed relation of the supporting angle member.

Relative movement between the gutter and supporting angle is resisted by a pair of .coil springs 60 disposed at the back of the gutter between the rear flange 32 and the upstanding flange 42 of the angle member so that the gutter is always disposed in its outermost position beneath the joint 21 between adjoining faceplates, but is thus maintained resiliently whereby in the event that two cars should be coupled together having their respective rain excluding gutters mounted at the meeting ends of the cars, the movement or displacement of the two gutters necessary to prevent damage to or disturbance of the fixed relation of the gutter supporting parts will be absorbed by the springs and when one of the gutters is removed for placement at the other end of one of cars, the remaining gutter will antomatically spring into the rain excluding position shown in the drawings.

The upstanding flange 42 on the support angle 40 is cut away at the positions of the respective springs 60 and a pocket member BI is secured to the flange by means of rivets 62 in bridging relation to the respective cut away portions to provide seats for the springs which exert pressure between these seats and the gutter 3D to maintain the gutter in its outermost position with the pins 55 disposed in the outer extremities of the slots 53. The springs 60 are supported in operative relation between the gutter and spring seats by means of dowel pins 63, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and which are secured respectively to the spring seats 6| and to the flange 32 of the gutter member by welding. The springs at their respectively opposite ends are seated about the dowel pins for retention thereby in operative position. With the supporting member 40 rigidly supported on the faceplate and the gutter 30 mounted thereon for movement relative thereto against the resilient resistance offered by springs 60, it will be seen that the arrangement affords a rain excluding trough which is maintained at all times in operative position projecting beyond the faceplate but which is capable of displacement inwardly to prevent damage which otherwise might be possible under certain circumstances during coupling operations and which is automatically retracted when adjoining faceplates move laterally relatively to each other by the engagement of one of the faceplates with one or the other of the sloping surfaces at either end of the trough between points 33 and 34 when cars equipped with the arrangement traverse curved track.

Provision is made to prevent any possibility of the rain excluder assembly being installed on a faceplate in reverse relation. In order to avoid having the rigidly mounted angle supporting member 40 extend beyond the outer plane of the faceplate due to a misapplication of the device, the horizontal flange 4| is of a length to exceed the width between the flanges 29 of the faceplate and is cut away at each end for a portion of its width as at 64 to a length coincident with that of the gutter 30 so that the portion of the angle member between the cut away portions is adapted to be entered between the flanges 29 of the faceplate with the gutter member, but the full length portion of the angle adjacent the rear flange 42 cannot be passed between the face-'- plate flanges wherefore it is impossible to apply the rain excluder in any but an operative position with the gutter 30 disposed outwardly to receive all water and dirt seeping through the. joint 21 when adjoining cars are coupled.

What is claimed is:

l. A faceplate having a buffing surface, a trough arrangement adapted to be secured to the faceplate beneath said surface including a support member and a gutter member, support-- ing brackets on the faceplate, attaching means at opposite ends of the support member engageable with the respective brackets. releasable means in said brackets engageable with the attaching means for locking the support memberon the faceplate, said support member comprising an angle shaped member having an extended horizontal flange and an upright rear flange, bearing members on said horizontal flange, said gutter having inner and. outer upstanding flanges providing a channel shaped member open at op-. posite ends and mounted upon the horizontal flange of said support member for sliding movement on said bearing members relative to said upright rear flange, connections between the gutter and support member providing for rela-'- tive movement therebetween, and compression springs between said inner flange and the up-; standing rear flange adapted resiliently to main-- tain' said flanges in spaced relation.

2. A faceplate having a buffing surface, a trough arrangement adapted to be secured to the faceplate beneath said surface including a support member and a gutter member, support-1 ing brackets on the faceplate, attaching means at opposite ends of the Support member engageable with the respective brackets, releasable means in said brackets engageable with the attaching means for locking the support member on the faceplate, said gutter having inner and outer upstanding flanges providing a channel shaped member open at opposite ends and mounted upon the support member for movement relative thereto, said outer flange extending substantially parallel to the inner flange for a portion of their length and disposed at an angle thereto adjacent each end of the gutter whereby the gutter tapers from a maximum width outside the plane of said buffing surface to a width at the respective ends inside the plane of said surface, and spring means operative between said gutter and support member.

3. A faceplate having a buffing surface, a trough arrangement adapted to be secured to the faceplate beneath said surface including a support member and a gutter member, supporting brackets on the faceplate, attaching means at opposite ends of the support member engageable with the respective brackets, said gutter having inner and outer upstanding flanges providing a channel shaped member open at opposite ends and mounted upon the support member for movement relative thereto, said outer flange extending substantially parallel to the inner flange for a portion of their length and disposed at an angle thereto adjacent each end of the gutter whereby the gutter tapers from a maximum width outside the plane of said buffing surface to a width at the respective ends inside the plane of said surface, and spring means operative between said gutter and support member.

4. A faceplate having a buffing surface, a trough arrangement adapted to be secured to the faceplate beneath said surface including a support member and a gutter member, supporting brackets on the faceplate, attaching means at opposite ends of the support member engageable with the respective brackets, said gutter having inner and outer upstanding flanges providing a channel shaped member open at opposite ends and mounted upon the support member for movement relative thereto, and spring means operative between said gutter and support member.

5. A trough arrangement adapted for securement to a railway car faceplate including a support member and a gutter member, attaching means at opposite ends of the support member engageable with a faceplate, said gutter being open at opposite ends and mounted upon the support member for movement relative thereto, and. resilient means operative between the gutter and support member.

6. A trough arrangement adapted for securement to a railway car faceplate including a support member comprising an angle shaped member having a horizontal flange and an upright rear flange and a gutter member mounted on the horizontal flange for sliding movement relative to the upright flange, and resilient means between fsaid gutter and upright rear flange.

7. A trough arrangement adapted for securement to a railway car faceplate including a support member comprising an angle shaped member having a horizontal flange and an upright flange, a gutter member, means connecting the gutter to said horizontal flange for movement relative to said upright flange, bearing means between the gutter and said horizontal flange, and resilient means between the gutter and said upright rear flange.

8. A trough arrangement for application to a railway car faceplate including a support member comprising an angle shaped member having a horizontal flange and an upright flange, a channel shaped gutter member open at opposite ends having upstanding inner and outer flanges and mounted upon said horizontal flange for movement relative to the upright flange, said outer flange extending substantially parallel to the inner flange for a portion of their length and disposed at an angle thereto adjacent each end of the gutter whereby the gutter tapers from a maximum width outside the plane of a faceplate to a width at the respective ends inside the plane of such faceplate, and resilient means operative between said inner upstanding flange and said upright flange.

9. A faceplate having a bufiing surface, a trough arrangement adapted to be secured to the faceplate beneath said surface including a support member and a gutter member, supporting means on the faceplate engageable with the support member, said gutter comprising a channel shaped member open at opposite ends and mounted upon said support member for relative movement, and resilient means operative to urge said gutter member outwardly of said bufiing surface.

10. A railway car passageway including a faceplate having an upper surface adapted to be disposed in engagement with a similar surface of an adjoining faceplate thereby to form a joint and a trough member removably secured in the passageway to said first faceplate and extending beneath said joint substantially the full width of said passageway;

11. A railway car passageway including a faceplate having an upper surface adapted to be disposed in engagement with a similar surface of an adjoining faceplate thereby to form a joint, a support member secured to said first faceplate, a trough shaped gutter member associated with the support member for relative movement outwardly of the faceplate, and resilient means operative to maintain the gutter beneath said J'oint.

ERIC A. PIHL. HAROLD M. RING. 

